


Reel It In

by megexpress



Category: Aquaman (2018)
Genre: Canon Compliant, F/M, Fishing, Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, Happy Ending, Post-Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-15
Updated: 2019-02-15
Packaged: 2019-10-28 20:11:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,317
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17793986
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/megexpress/pseuds/megexpress
Summary: "So, what do I do if a fish bites?""Nothing. A fish won't bite.""What?""You're not going to catch a fish.""Your confidence in me is astounding, Arthur.""I'm just warning you.""Oh, even if it's the last thing I do-""I hate that I taught you that phrase.""-I'm going to catch a fish. You're going to eat your words, Arthur. My fish is going to kick your fish's ass."





	Reel It In

**Author's Note:**

> This was inspired by an ask I got on Tumblr. It got a little too long to be posted there, so I figured I would just post it in full here. Once again, I'm no writer. There will be plenty of mistakes (i.e. poor grammar), but I hope you enjoy regardless. Also, I want to thank anyone who read my other story, Ocean Waves. It got a lot more love than I thought it would, and I'm so grateful.

"We're here!" Tom announces.

Arthur, Mera and Atlanna look to one another in unenthusiastic solidarity. No one wanted to be on this trip but, to make Tom happy, they all agreed to go. Fishing became a hobby of Tom's over a decade ago. When Arthur was thirteen, Tom came home from the bar one day declaring that he was going to become a fisherman before promptly passing out on the couch. Arthur had thought Tom would forget about it when he woke up the next morning, but Tom awoke invigorated and determined. He went out that same day and bought all the fishing supplies he needed for both him and Arthur. He somehow roped his thirteen year old half-Atlantean son into fishing. Even though Arthur complained and tried to get himself out of it, Tom was his best friend and he loved spending time with him. It didn't take long for him to give into his dad, even if it meant having to fish.

Arthur thought it was kind of funny, to be honest. He didn't have a normal childhood. Hell, he wasn't just any normal kid. However, the one thing that could definitely be considered "normal" were these fishing excursions with his dad. Between the summer and autumn months, they would go out to Tom's favourite fishing spot and spend hours talking, drinking beers, and attempting to catch fish. After a few years, Tom had to go on these fishing trips alone more frequently. After all, Arthur was grown now. He had other responsibilities and sometimes Tom would go weeks without seeing his son. He never complained. He was proud of Arthur and all the good he was doing, so it didn't stop him from fishing. He would pack up his supplies and go fishing on his own. Oddly enough, he never caught anything when he fished alone. He began to fondly call Arthur his "lucky charm" since he always caught at least one fish when he was with his son. All of this led to their current situation: sitting on a sailboat at Tom's favourite fishing spot.

"Hey! Don't look like that. You two," Tom says, gesturing to Atlanna and Mera, "are going to love it. My lucky charm here is all we need! We're going to catch fish for sure." Tom smacks Arthur's arm with excitement before cajoling his wife into helping him ready three fishing rods. Atlanna had preemptively decided to forego the activity, opting to read and simply enjoy the company of her family instead.

Arthur gives a weak smile to Tom and turns to Mera who had been eerily quiet the entire boat ride.

"You ready to do this?" Arthur asks, noticing her barely suppressed wince as he interrupts her thoughts. He waits for her to respond, practically seeing the gears turning in her mind. _She really doesn't understand why we're here._ Arthur smiles in fondness.

"I suppose so. The mechanics of 'fishing' still seem pointless. We could simply go down there and catch a fish and it'd be over in a matter of minutes."

"It's a human hobby. Part of the fun is seeing whether you'll catch a fish or not."

"You're saying humans gamble their time for the chance of fish?" Mera asks dryly.

"In a way, I guess," Arthur laughs. "It wouldn't be as satisfying if they could just shove their hand into the water and get a fish. They like to work for it."

"I'm sure your father enjoys the the company, too."

"Yeah, this is the first fishing trip he's got to go on with my mom."

"I'm sure he really enjoyed these trips with _you_ , lucky charm."

Arthur's smile slips from his face, guilt coursing through him. He knows Mera is just teasing him, but she doesn't know his secret. He can't tell her when Tom is in hearing distance. If Tom knew what he'd been doing all these years, it might hurt him. He tries to cover up his discomfort with a smile but Arthur has never been a good liar. Mera sees through his forced grin, her expression turning from smugness to concern.

"What's wrong?" she whispers, intuiting Arthur's hesitation to speak aloud. 

She puts her hand on his knee, anchoring herself to him, as he struggles to answer her. The words are at the tip of his tongue, an exhale away from an explanation. He opens his mouth to speak when he hears Tom's laughter with Atlanna and he chokes on his words. Mera's eyes search his face, finding the guilt bleeding through his mask of indifference. Confusion makes her brows furrow. She follows his hurried glances at Tom and awareness dawns on her. She sits up, removing her hand from his knee, and meets his eyes once again. 

Without moving her head, Mera's eyes quickly move from Arthur's to Tom's general direction and back again. Arthur interprets her unspoken question: _It has to do with Tom?_

Arthur nods, relief that she understands calming his nerves. _Yes._

With an imperceptible tilt of her head, Mera grasps the dilemma. _You'll tell me later?_

Arthur nods again. _Of course._

Mera softly smiles at him and he gives her a ghost of a smile in response. He finds comfort in the fact that they can speak like this. Body language of subtle gestures and vague looks has been foreign to him, a language he never seemed to master with others. But, with Mera, it came naturally. They have this indescribable link to one another, an emotional tether that allows them to intuit the other's feelings. They can speak non-verbally and allow their bodies to interpret the words they want to say. Almost as if they have a language only allowed between them, creating a world of their own. Before he met Mera, Arthur never thought another person could truly understand him (after all, many have tried and failed), but she's seen through every mask and every wall. And he has seen through all hers. They've never had a problem being vulnerable and open with one another.

"Here are your fishing...rods," Atlanna stumbles on her words while holding out a rod for Mera and Arthur each. Her voice startles them out of their silent conversation but they recover quickly and grab their equipment.

"How do you use this thing?" Mera asks, moving the rod every which way.

"I'm unsure. I don't know why we can't just go down there and grab some fish and be done with this," Atlanna retorts, ignoring Tom's snort behind her.

"That's what I said," Mera sighs.

Arthur stifles his laughter at Tom's disapproval. "I'll help you set up, Mera. Mom, you enjoy reading or whatever you plan on doing."

"Oh, I will, Arthur." With that, Atlanna turns to Tom and gives him a kiss on the cheek before moving to sit at the stern of the boat and cracking open one of her paperbacks. Within seconds, she's immersed into its pages.

Tom watches Atlanna settle in with a tender look of affection before turning to the task at hand. He sits down next to Arthur and casts out his line, settling in for a long wait. Arthur cringes. He can see the look of anticipation in Tom. Tom really believes that Arthur is his good luck charm; certain that he's going to catch a fish. Arthur doesn't know how to break the news to him...

"Are you going to help me or stare off into the distance all day?"

Arthur shakes himself out of his thoughts and looks at Mera with mild annoyance. She gives him a harried gesture with her fishing rod, making him smile. Arthur gets up and sits behind her so that Mera is between his legs and her back to his chest. He reaches for her hand and delicately moves them along the fishing rod, explaining to her the different mechanisms and their purpose.

"Since everything is already set up, you just have to cast the line out. Hold this down here with your thumb - that's right - and then bring the rod back. When you're ready, launch the rod forward and release your thumb. When the end of the line hits the water, press the button again." Arthur guides Mera, his hand at her elbow as she casts her line out in a perfect overhead arc.

"I did it!" Mera squeals, her eyes wide in excitement.

"Yes, you did," Arthur indulges her. He kisses her on the top of her head before moving back to his seat and casting his own line out.

"Thank goodness. I thought it was about to get all _Ghost_ in here," Tom teases.

"What's _Ghost_?" Mera asks, attentively watching the float at the end of her reel as it bobs on the water's surface.

"It's a movie. My dad thinks he's being funny."

"Your father is plenty funny!" Atlanna chimes in from across the boat.

"Your mother thinks I'm funny."

"I think you're funny, Tom," Mera says, her gaze unwavering.

"See? Even your girlfriend thinks I'm funny!"

Arthur stills slightly. _Girlfriend._ Him and Mera never really labelled what they were. He thinks it's an appropriate title. For now at least. He just doesn't know what Mera is thinking. He glances sideways at Mera to gauge her reaction. Her cheeks have slightly pinked, a smirk pulling at her lips. Her eyes briefly look to him, catching him in the act of looking at her. Her smirk blooms into a full smile as her gaze quickly returns back to the water. She doesn't object to the title, it seems. Arthur warms, a giddiness enveloping him.

"I guess someone has to think your funny, dad," Arthur says halfheartedly. 

Tom laughs to himself.

"So, what do I do if a fish bites?" Mera asks.

"Nothing. A fish won't bite," Arthur deadpans.

"What?"

"You're not going to catch a fish."

"Your confidence in me is astounding, Arthur."

"I'm just warning you."

"If a fish bites, Mera, I'll tell you what to do. With him around," Tom points a thumb to Arthur, "you're bound to catch a fish."

Arthur shakes his head and bites his tongue. _If you only knew._

"Oh, even if it's the last thing I do-"

"I hate that I taught you that phrase," Arthur interrupts.

"-I'm going to catch a fish. You're going to eat your words, Arthur. My fish is going to kick your fish's ass."

Tom laughs as, with newfound determination, Mera shuffles forward in her seat, her eyes slightly luminescent. Arthur sighs and settles in for the long wait ahead.

~

After three long hours without even a nibble, Atlanna proposed that they go ashore and buy some lunch before trying again. Tom sulkily agreed, his dejection making him drag his feet as he and Atlanna left Mera and Arthur to guard the sailboat while they retrieved lunch. Atlanna murmured reassurances to him, looping her arm through his, attempting to get Tom's spirits up. He looked defeated and it clenched at Arthur's heart and conscience.

When they are out of earshot, Mera turns in her seat to face Arthur in expectation. She patiently waits for him to begin.

"When I said that you wouldn't catch anything, I meant it. Fish rarely swim in that area. It's why we were the only boat around. Fishermen know that they won't catch anything and go elsewhere."

Mera balks at the revelation. "I knew there was a logical explanation for me not catching a fish. Then why does Tom keep going there? That makes no sense." She ponders a moment, biting her lip in concentration. He can see the realization hit. "Unless..."

"He calls me his _lucky charm_ for a reason," Arthur says bitterly.

"Arthur... I assume from your guilt that he doesn't know. How did you keep it from him?"

"When I was thirteen, it was the first time my father and I went on a fishing trip. He looked so excited to try something new. I wanted him to be happy so I shut my mouth and went. We went to that same spot we went today. We were there for hours and nothing. He looked so small... I didn't want him to leave empty-handed, so I put my hand in the water while his back was turned and called for a few fish to bite at his line. I hadn't seen him that happy in so long, Mera. At the time we had a small little boat and I remember, when he caught that first fish, he jumped up and down and we nearly capsized. He laughed and he let me try a beer for the first time. After that, I couldn't tell him what I'd done. I didn't want to disappoint him."

"The longer you took to tell him, the harder it got."

"Yeah. I'm surprised he never put it together."

"Your father wasn't happy then, Arthur. Maybe somewhere, deep down, he _does_ know, but chooses to ignore it. It's not a big lie, Arthur. It's a lie that brings him joy."

"It's still a lie."

"I'm not denying that, but the lie isn't hurting him. Your father still fishes, regardless if you're with him or not. He keeps going back to the same spot even though there are days when you're not there and he catches nothing. Fishing brings him happiness, Arthur. You contributed to his happiness. That's something to celebrate."

Arthur remains quiet, contemplating what Mera said. Her speech comforted him, helped erase some of the guilt he had been holding in. She was right. That little lie brought his dad happiness. There were so many days when they went fishing and, for those few hours, Tom was completely content. He wasn't moping around the lighthouse or standing at the end of the dock. They were together, laughing and enjoying each other's company.

"Thank you."

"You're welcome, Arthur."

Mera shuffles closer and leans her head on Arthur's shoulder. The sound of the waves hitting the dock is calming, the rocking of the sailboat underneath them like a lullaby. Arthur feels reassured and at peace with his past decision. He intertwines his hand with Mera's, softly rubbing circles with his thumb. She hums a melody, one familiar to him. He thinks he heard her play it on her flute once. Another day, another boat. They notice Atlanna and Tom in the distance as they make their way back to the sailboat, their arms full of food cartons. Arthur's parents are talking and laughing together, Tom's melancholy seemingly having been evaporated. They are weaving through the throng of people, so immersed in each other that they seem in a world of their own.

"They look happy," Mera observes.

"Yeah, they do." Arthur clears his throat and slowly leans his head on Mera's. "Are you?"

"Yes." He hears the smile in her voice. "But," she lifts her head to look him in the eye, "if you cheat me out of my fishing victory, I'll kill you."

Arthur laughs, clear and loud. "I know."

They're still laughing when Atlanna and Tom finally return.

~

"What's happening?" Mera shrieks, her voice rising in alarm.

"Holy shit, you have a bite!" Arthur says, his mouth open in shock.

"What do I do?!" Mera jumps to her feet.

"Pull it up!" 

"Reel it in!"

"What's going on?" Atlanna asks, rubbing her eyes, a giant yawn escaping her. She had been napping peacefully until the current confusion broke out. 

"I think I caught a fish!" Mera distractedly answers before turning back to Arthur and Tom. "What does that mean? Is it this thing?" Mera cries, pulling the rod up and pointing to the reel.

"Yes!" Arthur hollers just as Tom yells, "Spin it!"

Mera grabs hold of the reel and spins it as fast as she can, reeling in her catch. She bites her lip in concentration as Atlanna, Arthur, and Tom all hover around her, waiting to see what is at the end of her hook. Finally, Mera does one final pull on her rod and her catch breaks through the water's surface. A fish wiggles at the end of her hook. _Holy shit, she did it._

"I caught a fish!" Mera exclaims, her eyes wide in excitement. 

Atlanna gets to her first, hugging her tight. "I'm so proud of you! You did so well!" She cups Mera's face, beaming in pride. Mera's smile grows wider. Atlanna lets Mera go and begins to move aside to let the others congratulate her. "What kind is it?" she asks, pulling Tom's jacket tighter around her shoulders.

"It's a bass," Tom informs them as he hugs Mera. "Congratulations, Mera. You may have fishing talent in you after all."

"Soon you'll be asking me for advice," Mera jokes.

Tom laughs. "I told you that you'd enjoy fishing! You're out, Arthur. I think I've found my new fishing partner." He winks at Mera and takes her fishing pole from her. He goes to his wife and they turn to look out across the water together, giving the other two a bit of privacy.

"Finally," Arthur quips, both to Tom's statement and to his and Mera's newfound privacy. His eyes had never left Mera, taking her in. She looks beyond happy, her face bright and joyful. With the sun slowly setting behind her, it casts a soft glow like a halo. He should have known that, out of anyone, she could and would do the improbable.

Arthur pulls Mera into a hug, her head under his chin. He breathes her in, her ear against his chest, over his heart. He feels her arms go around his waist, holding him tight as her hands lightly clench his shirt into her fists. "Congratulations, Mera."

"I told you I would do it," she says as she pokes him in the side, making him jump.

"Yeah, I know. I should have known better," Arthur relents, kissing the top of her head.

Mera, still holding onto his waist, lifts her head. He looks down and meets her gaze. He can see the question in her eyes.

"It was all you," he reassures her, tucking a lock of hair behind her ear.

She smiles at him as she gets on her toes to kiss him. He leans down to meet her half-way. She smiles into the kiss, giggling in excitement. She tastes like laughter and adrenaline. He chases her kiss with another, making her laugh more. When they part, he leaves a final kiss on her forehead.

"Now what do we do?"

"We usually throw any fish we catch back into the water."

"Really? All that work for nothing? That makes all this pointless," Mera pouts.

Arthur shrugs. "It's up to you. Do you want to keep it?"

"Yes." Mera gives him a dazzling smile.

"Okay." Arthur takes one of the food containers and leans over the boat, scooping some of the water into it. "Hopefully this will hold until we can find a better container. What are you gonna name it?"

Mera bites her lip, her eyebrows furrowing while in deep thought. "I'm not sure..."

"How about Ghost?" Tom interjects, his eyes twinkling in mirth as he expertly unhooks the fish. He places it in the water-filled container and waits for it to start swimming around. After a few seconds, the fish awakens from its shock and swims around its new temporary home. Luckily the fish is undersized, allowing it to have a bit more room to swim around.

"Dad, I don't think-"

"That's perfect!" Mera interrupts.

"You don't even get the reference!"

"Which means you're just going to have to show me the film, Arthur. Now, let's hurry back and find something proper to put Ghost in. That container could fall apart any moment."

"Yes, let's go home," Atlanna agrees, cooing with Mera over their new pet.

Arthur rolls his eyes to the heavens, a smile tugging at his lips.

_A pet fish? What's next? A dog?_


End file.
